Rory McIlroy proves his class in ‘beautiful coincidence’ after toddler’s brain injury
Rory McIlroy demonstrated once more that he possesses just as much grace away from the golf course as he does while playing by spending quality time with a three year old golf enthusiast at this month’s Irish Open after she generated more than $30,000 for charity.
County Down youngster Alex Chambers had been welcomed to the tournament after event officials discovered her golfing fundraising effort, which followed her experiencing a brain hemorrhage less than two years earlier. McIlroy ultimately claimed victory in the tournament after a thrilling final round. It comes as McIlroy revealed Team Europe’s unique preparations for the upcoming Ryder Cup.
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The previous year, after rigorous recovery and rehabilitation that left her in a coma, Chambers took on a mission to walk five miles to benefit Little Heroes charity, which provided support during her stay at the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children (RVHSC).
This year, she chose to tackle a golfing challenge at her neighborhood Scrabo Golf Club, where she took her first shot before walking the distance of nine holes.
When the Irish Open discovered her remarkable fundraising effort, they extended an invitation to The K Club for this year’s tournament, which resulted in an enchanting unexpected meeting with none other than current Masters champion McIlroy, reports the Irish Star.
“I just turned and Rory McIlroy was walking towards me,” Chambers’ mom, Nadine, told The Irish News. “I just thought well, what a beautiful coincidence.”
Nadine explained that she and her daughter, who has become “a big golf fan”, were attempting to locate the kid zone at the event when one of the staff members allowed them to pass through the clubhouse. There, they ran into McIlroy, who Nadine said wound up providing them with a moment that was more “significant” to their family than the Holywood golfer could ever realize.
“When Rory met her, I said, ‘Alex, who have you been looking for?’ and she went, ‘Rory, I’ve been looking for you!’,” Ms Chambers said of her daughter, who had decided that they were “going to look for Rory” that day.
“I don’t think Rory quite knows what that meeting meant to us and what it meant to Alex. It was a really significant ending to such a good fundraiser.”
Someone who previously worked at Holywood Golf Club had provided the toddler and her mother with a replica of McIlroy’s driver head on the chance they would encounter him. When presented with it, he was more than willing to help out.
“I explained the story to him and he was happy to sign it,” Nadine said. “I had a kind of brief chat with him about what we were trying to do [with the fundraiser]. He was happy to have a chat with Alex and get a photo.”
As for little Alex herself, she managed to raise over £22,000 ($29,000) for Little Heroes through her golf fundraiser and sponsorships from local businesses and community initiatives.
However, her mom also said that it was crucially important for her recovery, and since April, she has been able to learn to stand and walk independently, among other things, to put herself way ahead of schedule in her road to recovery.
